"Just one more turn."
Hours (days? weeks?) later....
"Just one more turn... seriously... just one more...."
Any fan of Civlization, Alpha Centauri, or any of Sid Meier's countless other addicting titles has uttered this phrase. Creator of arguably the most addicting video games of all time, the name Sid Meier brings smiles to the faces of many gamers with recollection of pulling all-nighters (probably even all-weekers) completing "just one more turn."
But Sid Meier's name doesn't produce respect and awe among only the gamers of the world; his name is far more powerful. Game designers from any genre know that any title bearing the "Sid Meier's" prefix is one worthy of careful scrutiny. If you want to learn game design from a master, you study a Sid Meier title.
To hear from a guy who genuinely loves gaming, who really cherishes his job, is always a joy, and whether you like Sid Meier's games or you don't, his thoughts are worth listening to. I had the chance to ask Sid more than a few questions concerning the industry, and as expected, his answers proved quite interesting.
Shack: Many game designers have that one special title, that one defining game or gaming moment that made them say, "This is what I want to do with my life." What game or moment is that for you?
Sid Meier: I grew up before video games were on the map, so my love of gaming stems from board games I played as a kid. As computers came into existence I was fascinated by them and spent time figuring out how they work and learning to code.
My first job out of college was with a company that made cash registers and slot machines and while I was there I met Bill Stealey who was in the sales department. I guess the "Ah-ha" moment for me came when Bill and I were at a convention and we found a flight-sim arcade to play. Bill was certain he would beat me since he had a background as a fighter pilot, but each time we played I crushed him. He asked how I was winning and I said I could figure out what the AI was doing and beat it. I told him the game was pretty lame and thought I could make a better game in two weeks. Bill challenged me to do it, I did, and Microprose was born.
That was in the early '80s and I've been making games ever since. It's the best job imaginable.
Shack: What games do you enjoy playing?
Sid Meier: My favorite games are probably Starcraft, Grand Turismo 3, and Age of Kings. I've also been having lots of fun with Guitar Hero; my son and I are budding rock 'n roll stars.
Shack: If you could pick any one genre that you haven't tackled yet, what would it be, and why? What would your "vision" for the genre and/or game be?
Sid Meier: I'm really interested in MMOs and have some ideas floating around, but nothing that I can share at the moment.
Shack: Do you see more console development in your future?
Sid Meier: Yes. More on that soon.
Shack: Things in the industry seem to be hurtling in the direction of online, online, online. What is your stance on digital distribution via services such as Steam that allow you to purchase games over the Internet? Good, bad, somewhere in between?
Sid Meier: I don't really have a "stance" on the topic, but I think it makes sense to have games available for purchase online. Some of our games are available on IGN's Direct2Drive and it's certainly a convenient way to purchase games.
Shack: What about episodic content?
Sid Meier: It's a very cool idea that allows developers to deliver fresh content to gamers on an ongoing basis, which keeps the game experience fun and rewarding for players...for a very long time.
Shack: Many gamers and industry specialists alike feel that gaming has hit a plateau. Some even feel it's growing stagnant, and that change is needed. What do you think? What sort of changes or innovations does gaming need to give it a boost?
Sid Meier: I don't agree with that sentiment. Gaming is constantly growing and changing...we're a very young industry and just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we can do with this medium. The next-gen hardware that is arriving now will allow developers to deliver new experiences to gamers that will push gaming to the next level.
The emergence of Xbox Live Arcade is one good example of gaming moving forward...developers can create new games, on a shorter development cycle and deliver them inexpensively to gamers. Right now most of the games appeal to more casual gamers, but as the space evolves it will allow for more robust games that will appeal to hardcore gamers.
Shack: What are your thoughts on the Nintendo Wii? Do you think it will offer exciting new game play possibilities, or do you see it as more of a flash in the pan?
Sid Meier: I just attended a demonstration of the Wii and it's a very fun system. We played Tennis and Excite Truck and had a blast. The controller is definitely a unique approach and is pretty intuitive. It won't work for all games, but it makes lots of sense for games that require individual character movements (like tennis, baseball, sword fighting, driving etc.).
Continue to page two, where you'll learn Sid's thoughts on the PC gaming industry, as well as the war on video games being waged by Congress.
_PAGE_BREAK_Shack: Many are wondering, what with titles like Age of Empires appearing on handheld platforms such as the Nintendo DS, is there any chance we'll see one of your titles on a handheld?
Sid Meier: We're very interested in the handhelds. My philosophy has always been to deliver our games on whatever platforms make sense for the game. If we can make a game fun on a handheld then we'll do it.
Shack: Many in the industry are getting fed up with the PC as a gaming platform. Countless hardware conflicts, shady console ports, prices of parts such as video cards (most of them costing as much as a new console), mounds upon mounds of patches.... Heck, many feel that besides near 100% customization for things such as controls, graphics, and titles that are just easier to develop for and play on PCs such as MMOs, the PC is in second place when compared to consoles.
What, in your opinion, is the state of PC gaming?
Sid Meier: People have been declaring PC Gaming a dying breed for years now and I just don't see it happening. The consoles have definitely come on strong and gained a large share of the gaming market, but I think PC games will remain and evolve.
There is plenty of room for console gaming and PC gaming to exist and grow in the market...and the PC is still a better platform for certain games that just need a mouse and keyboard to be fun.
Shack: In the "war" against video games many in Congress seem to be waging, it has been pointed out that the "bad" video games are titles such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Doom, whereas the "good" video games (i.e., titles that Congress deems socially acceptable) are some of your titles such as Civilization IV, even though you can do things such as commit genocide. In fact, many congressmen have boasted that while they play games such as Civ4, they shun GTA and other, more violent titles.
What are your feelings on this? Are there "good" or "bad" video games, or do you feel the issue is more dependant on the maturity/mental stability level of the player(s) partaking in games such as GTA, Civ4, et cetera?
Sid Meier: I strongly believe that it's the developer/publisher's responsibility to make sure the content they deliver in games is appropriate for the intended audience, and it's the parent's responsibility to learn the ESRB rating system so they can make sure their kids are playing games that they feel are appropriate. GTA is a great game in terms of design and gameplay experience and the "M" rating indicates that it is not a game for children. Civ IV has an E-10 rating which indicates that it's intended for people 10 years and older.
As a game designer and the parent of a teenage son, I think gaming is a great form of entertainment for people of all ages (again, assuming people are playing games that are appropriate for their age). Once people have become familiar with the ESRB rating system, the same way they have the movie rating system, I think this "war" over video gaming will subside.
Shack: Do you ever wonder about the social effects your games have on society as it pertains to the individual?
Sid Meier: I'm just a guy making games so people can have fun. If there is some kind of social effect from my games it's interesting to note, but it doesn't drive my game design decisions. I do receive lots of letters and emails from folks telling me how some of my games like Civilization for instance, have effected their lives -- everything from helping them to ace a history course in high school (which is good) to causing them to become so addicted to playing that their wife left them (which is probably not so good).
Shack: Do you still personally work on prototypes for your games?
Sid Meier: Yes! Prototyping is what I most enjoy about making games. There's nothing better than starting with a blank slate, lots of ideas and a free weekend to create something fun--and not necessarily pretty--that will inspire a team to bring it to life. All of my games begin with the creation of a playable prototype (I'm not a fan of written design docs), and then we iterate (play and improve, play and improve...) on the prototype throughout the development cycle until we've created something really great to deliver to gamers.
Shack: Putting aside your various accolades, what do you feel is your greatest accomplishment in the gaming industry? It can be a game, a feature, whatever.
Sid Meier: Someone recently asked me in an interview what I think my epitaph should read. After some thought I responded: "Creator of Civilization." Civ has taken on a life of its own and it's thrilling to see how many people, from all walks of life, find enjoyment playing the game. We made the original game because it was a compelling topic (all of human history) and offered so many possibilities. And that still holds true today. It seems as though there's a never ending stream of cool ideas to bring to the Civ series--ideas that come from our team at Firaxis and the very bright and innovative Civ community.
Shack: In the same vein of questioning, what do you feel is your greatest failure?
Sid Meier: I'm sorry...not familiar with the word. I view everything as a learning opportunity and keep moving forward. If we decide to pull the plug on a game in development, it's not a failure...it's a decision to try another approach to reaching our end goal, which is always to deliver a fun game to players.
Shack: Perhaps "failure" is too extreme a word. Do you have any regrets? Anything you wish you could go back and fix or improve?
Sid Meier: No regrets. I have a wonderful life and the best job in the world. What's to regret??
Turn to the final page to learn about why Sid chose to resurrect RailRoad Tycoon, why his name's on all of his games, and just how much of a hands-on approach Mr. Meier is able to take on his projects these days.
_PAGE_BREAK_Shack: Out of all your successful gaming creations, what influenced you to resurrect Railroad Tycoon in the form of Sid Meier's Railroads! ?
Sid Meier: I had never lost sight of how much fun we had creating the original Railroad Tycoon in 1990, and then a couple of things happened that really got me thinking about re-visiting the game. I was in Germany a few years ago for a press tour and visited a very cool model train museum called "Minitur Wunderland," which is the largest HO-scale model train layout in the world. It really re-ignited my fascination for trains and building elaborate railroads.
Around that same time, we began a new business relationship with 2K Games and eventually were purchased and became part of their corporate family--and they just happened to own the license for Railroad Tycoon... and the rest is history. I created a prototype, showed it to the team and we got a green light to leave the station, as it were.
Shack: How did prefacing all of your software titles with your name come about? Marketing maneuver, or something else?
Sid Meier: It was definitely a marketing idea that came from Bill Stealey, my partner at Microprose. I had been known for creating flight sims back in the 1980's and then I wanted to make a game about Pirates. Bill wanted to make sure people would make the connection from F-19 to Pirates, so he suggested putting my name on the box.
Shack: Things seem quite busy for you these days, what with being assigned the prestigious role of creative director and thereby necessitating contributions to several software titles at once. You seem to be a lot like Shigeru Miyamoto, in that so many projects stem from your mind and are credited to you, yet you have to oversee so many different things at once, it's hard to really say, "Yeah, that's my game."
Do you like the position, or do you prefer to take a more hands-on, involved approach with your games?
Sid Meier: I really enjoy being hands-on designing and writing code, which I still do for many of our games. However, it is fun to work with the talented folks we have at Firaxis to create the type of games we're making today. For instance, the design and programming for Civ IV was lead by Soren Johnson, and brought to life by a large team of programmers and artists. I was kind of the "spiritual leader" during development lending guidance, advice and lots of gameplay feedback.
Shack: The people must know: anything you can give us, anything at all, on a possible sequel to Alpha Centauri?
Sid Meier: Electronic Arts owns the rights to Alpha Centauri, so you'll have to talk to them.
Shack: Thank you for all the fun games you've entertained us with over the years! We look forward to playing future hits. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Sid Meier: Thanks for the interview! I'm as excited about making games now as I've ever been. There are so many great opportunities for game designers to create new and better experiences for players of all interests. Games are firmly established as part of main stream entertainment and that is an enormous accomplishment for developers, publishers and players.
Stay Civilized!
Sid
Sid Meier
Director of Creative Development
Firaxis Games
Sid Meier's Railroads!, the next title from Mr. Civlization, will be available for the PC on October 16 of this year.
